A homeless man dies of an overdose in a popular Cairo neighborhood. He was once an ideal husband and represented security for his family. Then one day, everything changed. Upon his death his friends from the underworld drag the corpse around for a whole night of madness, drinking and hallucinating situations. A game with death where the dead man becomes more alive than the living and fallen angels live according to their own rules, laws and desires in the chaos of the Egyptian capital. The film is based on a famous short story written by the Brazilian writer Jorge Amado.

Raising teenaged daughters is not easy, especially for Ayan, a Somalian refugee living in Canada who also supports a husband and two sons left behind in Somalia. Living in her small Vancouver apartment with her daughters -- Nasrah, 17, and Leila, 15 -- Ayan is trying to keep everything together, but is evicted from her apartment for late payment. Because Ayan is unable to afford the soaring rents on her two service jobs, and the Canadian social services are unable to assist in placing her, she and her two daughters must move into a Family Motel. Ayan keeps her faith and dignity throughout these challenging times and, with great fortitude, strives to make the best of her difficult situation. Further drama ensues when Nasrah and Leila begin to rebel against their mother and start developing close relationships with the neighbors, who present characteristics quite different from what Ayan, a devout Muslim, is accustomed to.

Zamiatou is the mother of two quarrelsome boys and a depressed teenage girl. She is also the wife of a man arrested for political reasons who returns from prison mentally and physically destroyed. She struggles hard to survive in a poor and desolate area. She is ready to face anything to keep the family alive except prostituting her beautiful daughter. Her determination will take her far from her family…

Conceived as an effort to alter the way African-American children see themselves and their ancestors, this docu-drama highlights the inventive and inspired contributions of African-Americans in the 1840s, the period leading to the Civil War in American History.

Developed in collaboration with Florida-based historian Mary Fears to produce a historically accurate portrayal of the brave, compelling lives of African American skilled craftsmen, artists, inventors, and Union spies, the film is certain to enthrall young audiences with this overlooked facet of history.

A provocative digital feature
that dares to probe the question: What the f*ck is going on
in American filmmaking? FLMKR is a quirky, comic thriller,
which traces the odyssey of independent filmmaker Veronica
Davidson, as professional setbacks are amplified by personal
betrayals; then she realizes something more sinister has taken
over the film industry in America. FLMKR explores the agonies
of film making, from personal compromises, to the concessions
required of an entertainment-addicted society. All seen through
the eyes of one paranoid filmmaker, living and working in
the heart of the “conspiracy capitol of the world”, Dallas,
Texas.

Frantz Fanon, was a psychiatrist, originally
from Martinique, who had become a spokesman for the
Algerian revolution against French colonialism. Embittered
by his experience with racism in the French Army,
he gravitated to radical politics, Sartrean existentialism
and the philosophy of black consciousness known as
negritude. His 1952 book, ''Black Skin, White
Masks,'' offers a penetrating analysis of
racism and of the ways in which it is internalized
by its victims. While secretly aiding the rebels of
the Algerian anti-colonial war as a doctor in Algeria,
Fanon cared for victims and perpetrators alike, producing
case notes that shed invaluable light on the psychic
traumas of colonial war. Expelled from Algeria in
1956, Fanon moved to Tunis where wrote for El Moudjahid,
the rebel newspaper, founded Africa's first psychiatric
clinic, and wrote several influential books on decolonization.
Frantz Fanon, His Life, His Struggle,
His Work traces the short and intense
life of one of the great thinkers of the 20th century.

Europe's racial make-up is quickly changing. French-Algerian filmmaker Yamina Benguigui is hoping to start a conversation about affirmative action - a policy that does not exist in France today. Benguigui's Le Plafond de Verre (Glass Ceiling) presents a serie of sometimes very emotional first-hand accounts of discrimination againt mostly black and North African Arab who are trying to find jobs. The documentary offers poingnant and reveiling accounts of discrimination faced by these full-fledged French citizens who are also children of immigrant parents.

DVD sale: $195

Glorious Exit

Director: Kevin MerzFrom:Nigeria/SwitzerlandYear:2008 Minutes: 75 Language:English and German with English subtitlesGenre: Documentary

Jarreth Merz, a Swiss-Nigerian actor living in Los Angeles, is summoned to Nigeria to bury his father. Nigerian tradition mandates the eldest child to take charge of a father’s burial. Although he accepts the responsibility, he struggles with why he feels morally responsible toward Nigerian tradition and a family whom he hardly knows. Jarreth starts a journey of self-discovery.

Obdulio is an 11-year-old Afro-Uruguayan
boy who lives with his grandmother and sells newspapers
for a living while he cannot read or write. Obdulio is
not interested in going to school until he finds out that
the night watchman of the newspaper's office is a charismatic
magical "Maestro" who not only introduces him
to the world of literacy but also teaches him the real
meaning of life through the lyrics of the "Murgas"
(Carnival Pierrots) during the mythical nights of the
irreverent and provocative Uruguayan carnival.

GREAT AFRICAN FILMS - VOL 1 : Haramuya
& Faraw! Mother of the Dunes - Two films are
included in the package, making for an entertaining and
edifying double feature experience: Drissa Toure's Haramuya
(1995) is a sprawling dramatic comedy about several generations
of a traditional Muslim family scraping up against various
temptations (crime, movies, drugs, music) of modernity in
the city of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, and
Abbdoulaye Ascofare's Faraw: Mother of the Dunes (1997),
from Mali is about a mother of three who struggles to support
her family while saving her daughter from becoming the concubine-maid
of a French colonialist.

Legendary Aboriginal actor and Australian icon David Gulpilil's life has been one of dueling lifestyles, with his jet-setting movie star life on a completely different plane from his life as an Aboriginal village elder, and director Darlene Johnson manages to capture intimate details from both lifestyles in her 2003 biographical documentary Gulpilil: One Red Blood. At the age of 17, Gulpilil made history as the first Aboriginal actor to appear on film -- in Nicolas Roeg's 1971 Walkabout -- which, in turn, led to an historic acting career that culminated in his receiving numerous awards and an Order of Australia medal. All the while, Gulpilil remained true to his culture by accepting his tribal responsibilities, which include living in a primitive house and procuring his household's daily food and water. As Johnson films a number of very candid encounters with the actor in both settings -- David lives in a tent shed and is quite open about the lack of facilities in his abode and the exploitation he’s experienced during his career -- she documents the class differences that still exist between the indigenous population of Australia versus the relatively new white population.

Ouagadougou, its buildings and shantytowns... Wealth in a modern town and poverty in the suburbs. Through Fousseini -- a Muslim firmly attached to his faith and traditions - and his family HARAMUYA draws a picture of Ouagadougou in the traps of modernism and traditionalism. Fousseini tries to take care of his family according to the old precepts and the code of honor inherited from his ancestors. One of his sons is a cinema projectionist and supports all the family against the will of his wife. The other son idles around all day long in Ouagadougou, looking for a girlfriend.

Charlie, Thabo and Peter, three "MK" veterans from the armed branch of the African National Congress, return to post-apartheid South Africa in 1996 after years of exile. It will not be easy for them to find their place in society again. Charlie dreams of opening a club, Thabo has to patch up his relationship with his wife and son and Peter continues to work in the Party and investigate the traitors of the ANC. Continuously hampered as he delves into the Government's files, his ensuing investigations provide shocking revelations of the identities of the traitors. Pared down from a successful mini series for the South African Broadcasting Corporation, Homecoming draws its plot from the real life experiences of acclaimed filmmaker and writer, Zola Maseko, a former "MK" soldier of the ANC. Morman Maake (26) is perhaps the most promising young director from South Africa. He studied at ADFA, a dynamic young film- and drama school in Johannesburg. He has several films to his name, amongst which Sweet Home (1999), Soldiers of Rock (2003), and Homecoming (2005).

Recipient of Zenith Prize (Best First
Fiction Feature), Montreal World Film Festival 2004

Newly arrived in Montréal, and determined to conquer
North America by charming blond-haired women, Gégé,
a Haitian in his thirties, lands up at Fanfan's - his nostalgic
uncle who has given up poetry for a good old taxicab and
dreams of returning to his homeland. Over the course of
one night filled with humor and friendship -- highlighted
by a party attended by twins Andrée and Denise, two
Quebecers with contrasting charms -- the two fun-loving
guys take stock of their lives, memories and fantasies.
Meanwhile, on television, various celebrities draw up a
comic portrait of North American society.

In 1993, death squads opened fire on a group of sleeping street children camped on the steps of a cathedral in Rio de Janeiros central financial district, killing six. This event, later called the Candelaria massacre, is vividly depicted in this short film about the plight of street children in Brazil.

This exploration of Haitian society of the late 19th and early 20th centuries focuses on the tormented life of one of Haiti’s most important authors and prominent political figures, Jacques Roumain. In his perceptive writings, Roumain raised questions about the issues facing Haiti that remain relevant today.

Some of Jacques Roumain’s best writings were translated by the legendary African-American poet Langston Hughes. The question is raised: what legacy has Jacques Roumain left for the future of Haitian youth.

Brother Howie is a Jamaican Rastifari who dreams of the land of his ancestors: Africa. On a journey in search of his roots and his identity he travels through three continents and - with great humor and sensitivity - discovers the world...and Africa.

16mm rental:Please inquire.DVD sale: $295 Part of "Jamaican Music & Soul" 2 DVD set with "Made in Jamaica "

This animated film exquisitely recounts the tale of tiny Kirikou born in an African village in which Karaba the Sorceress has placed a terrible curse. Kirikou sets out on a quest to free his village of the curse and find out the secret of why Karaba is so wicked.

Lisa Nesselson of Variety (11/1/99) notes: “KIRIKOU AND THE SORCERESS employs snappy visuals to tell a catchy story for all ages. A blend of African folktales “Kirikou” has both humor and flair.” KIRIKOU depicts a precocious newborn infant who battles ignorance, and so-called evil, with endearing perseverance. This film speaks to the child within us all who yearns to express and defend the best in others and ourselves. KIRIKOU’s stunning visuals are accented by a traditional music soundtrack by African music giant Youssou N’ Dour of Senegal.

In a routine melodrama that contrasts the hectic life in Accra, the capital of Ghana, with the relative peace of Kukurantumi, a rural town, a truck driver makes runs between the two locations with few problems until he is forced to replace his truck. In order to raise the money to get a new vehicle, he sells some stolen watches and promises his daughter in marriage to a rich merchant. Rebelling against this fate, the daughter runs off to Accra with her boyfriend -- but then nothing turns out quite like she had planned, and the rich merchant looks better with each passing day.

Tomas, an Afro-Colombian teenager who fled the country’s Pacific coast pushed out by the war, faces difficulties of growing up in a city of exclusion and racism. When Jairo, his younger brother and closer friend disappear, Tomas is forced to leave his home to look for him.

A fascinating film on the rhythmic dance genre known as Rumba, La Ultima Rumba de Papa Montero dances around the life of Papa Montero, one of the famous rumberos of Cuba, assassinated during carnival. A discovery of Cuban traditions and every day life told through beautiful images, sensual music and dance. The use of Afro-Cuban mythology is the force behind the characters as orishas guide the characters' fate.

Looking for Life introduces the viewer to two women, Anne-Rose and Rosemene, who each one has their own particular way of battling through life. The former makes lunches in a factory yard in Port-au-Prince and sells her meals to the factory workers; the latter is employed in the same factory as a production worker making pullovers and T-shirts. Every day she buys her midday meal on credit from Anne-Rose. Through the connection between these two women the film shows part of their daily work and the constant battle for survival that they lead together with other women in Haiti. Going beyond this, however the film demonstrates the extent to which the importation of North American goods has brought about the collapse of Haitian regional production and ruined Haiti's economy. The connection between the two topics of the film reveals the significant role that Haitian women of today play in an economy that has been bled dry.